Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards to Retire

Paul Draper, who as winemaker and chief executive has led Ridge Vineyards for more than 45 years as it became one of the world’s most celebrated wine producers, is retiring, Ridge will announce on Wednesday.

Mr. Draper, who turned 80 this year, will hand over responsibilities to a team of executives who have been with Ridge for decades. Mr. Draper will continue as chairman of the board to oversee the transition. The executives who will succeed him — Mark Vernon, Eric Baugher, John Olney and David Gates — have already been running day-to-day operations at Ridge for some time.

“The wines of the last 10 years are theirs, not mine,” Mr. Draper said in a statement, “so you already know the quality and style of the vintages to come.”

Ridge is best known for its excellent zinfandel-based wines, primarily from two Sonoma County sources, Lytton Springs and Geyserville, which have always emphasized the characteristics of their sites over power and intensity. But its greatest wine is Monte Bello, a cabernet sauvignon-based blend produced in the historic Monte Bello vineyard high on a ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Since Mr. Draper took charge of the winemaking at Ridge in 1969, the quality and style of Monte Bello has been remarkably consistent, even as prevailing wine styles shifted radically in the 1990s.

Back then, the critical spotlight focused on a handful of new Napa Valley producers who charged exorbitant prices for their tiny production. They made wines that blended the Bordeaux grapes, primarily cabernet sauvignon, in a new and different style, emphasizing power and fruity impact over finesse.

But under Mr. Draper, Ridge did not deviate from its course. Vintage after vintage, Monte Bellos reflected both the vineyard site and the Ridge style of making wines that were intended to age, develop complexity and accompany food.

The remarkable consistency and beauty of these wines make Monte Bello America’s greatest cabernet sauvignon, in my judgment as The Times’s wine critic.

Over its history, Ridge has taken an almost singular path to greatness. It was founded by three scientists from the Stanford Research Institute, who in 1959 purchased 80 acres on Monte Bello ridge, including an old vineyard and a winery that dated back to the 19th century but had largely been abandoned.

In 1969, they hired Mr. Draper, who had grown up on a farm outside Chicago, graduated from Stanford and most recently had been making wine in Chile.

Mr. Draper’s winemaking philosophy centered on what he called “preindustrial techniques,” developed from 19th-century European and American texts. Like these older winemakers, he relied on natural yeasts for fermentation, used minimal amounts of sulfur dioxide as a stabilizer and otherwise did as little as possible beyond gently guiding the transformation of grape juice into wine.

He applied this philosophy not just to Monte Bello, but also to the zinfandels, many of which were made at Ridge’s Sonoma facility at Lytton Springs.

Mr. Vernon, who joined Ridge in 1998 and has been the president and chief operating officer the last seven years, will take over as chief executive. Mr. Baugher, who has made wine at Monte Bello since 2001, will also become Monte Bello’s chief operating officer, while Mr. Olney, who has been winemaker at Lytton Springs since 2001, will continue and become chief operating officer there. Mr. Gates, the Ridge vineyard manager, will continue as senior vice president for vineyard operations.

“I feel I am passing on our vineyards and estate to members of my own family,” Mr. Draper said.